If you love all the Sew4Home exclusive Janome Canada projects and monthly Mini Sewing Tips we present on Janome Life and on our website, Janome.CA, we’ve got a special treat for you!
Starting today, at 3pm Eastern on the Janome Canada Facebook page, we’ll be LIVE with Liz Johnson, from Sew4Home the third Thursday of every month!
Today’s LIVE, May 19; next month we’re LIVE June 16th; the following month, LIVE July 21st and so on for the rest of the year!
Today, Liz will share tips of the zipper applications of the cute and stylish waist pouch, which is just one of many Sew4Home projects you’ll find under the Inspire tab on Janome.CA.
We hope to “see” you there!
If you can’t join the LIVE presentation, never fear, all presentations will be stored under the Videos tab on the Janome Canada Facebook page, so you may watch whenever convenient for you.
They will also be loaded as videos on the Janome HQ You Tube channel under the Sew4Home playlist, so you won’t be left out if you don’t have a Facebook account. We try to share the Janome love however, and wherever we can! #sharethejanomelove
Join us LIVE at 1pm EST @janomehq Instagram page every Wednesday afternoon for our series, “Janome’s Magical Machine Mystery Tour” as we highlight a different machine in the Janome line. From entry level to Top of the Line; embroidery machines; longarm quilting machines; sergers and MORE, including some fabulous partner products to compliment those machines!
What machine and Janome goodies will we talk about this week? It’s aMYSTERY so you must tune in each week for the big reveal! Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE presentation, though. They’ll be stored in the IGTV icon on the Janome HQ Instagram Page and later posted as videos on the Janome HQ You Tube channel.
Follow us on the Janome HQ Facebook page to see what’s new at our Janome Canada Headquarters, our Janome HQ, and click HERE for more information about our ONLINE classes!
Write me at Classes@Janome-Canada.com (copy and paste in a new browser if needed) for more information about eventual on-site classes (when it’s safe) at The Janome Sewing and Learning Centre in Oakville, ON; Janome Canada’s Head Quarters.
Celine is back LIVE every Tuesday at 3pm EST on the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page for an entire month of sewing fun and education to help you get the most from your Janome machine!
This month is all about celebrating Mother, and not just for Mother’s Day! The month of May also means Spring, new and fresh, and FLOWERS!
Today, Celine will show you how to make a cute and clever bag to hold and transport flowers. No matter which Janome embroidery, or Janome embroidery-combo machine you have, you can customize and personalize just as you wish to make it a one of a kind original!
Celine will demonstrate on her fabulous Janome MC15000 Quilt Maker, but, as you likely heard, Janome recently released a new Top of the Line machine, the Janome Continental M17. But don’t worry, any of the projects Celine will demonstrate can be done on any Janome embroidery machine, so everyone can share in the fun!
Celine will share her tips about stabilizers, threads, needles; everything you need to know to transform your wardrobe; or, as Celine puts it, to “wear your machine”. Talk about sharing, and wearing the Janome love! lol!
Check out our handy bilingual Janome Accessories Guide or click on the Accessories Tab onJanome.CA. to find the presser feet and accessories compatible with your machine. Click the Products tab, then scroll down to find “View all Accessories“. Click there to access the Search Box or to scroll through the pages to find the accessories you’d like. Click on the picture/description to find the Part Number and machine compatibility. And, as always, check with your fabulous Janome Dealer!
Bilingual Janome Accessories Guide on the Janome.CA website
Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE. All of the presentations will be saved under the Videos tab of the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page. Use the Search Box to find all the videos with CelineRoss.
Don’t have a Facebook account, don’t worry, they will be uploaded to the Janome HQ You Tube channel under the Facebook Live playlist to enjoy whenever you wish!
Last month I wrote about using the “Layout” mode of the Janome Embroidery Editor software to create an embroidery design which is bigger then your machine’s embroidery hoop. This is made even easier by using the Janome Clothsetter, and the printed templates created in Embroidery Editor. These are essential in order to obtain perfect continuous positioning. I suggest watching several informative videos about this exclusive and optional Janome accessory on YouTube and Facebook.
Janome Universal Clothsetter
With your paper template printed and assembled (depending on the size of the layout), you must mark the crosshairs for alignment of the second layout onto your fabric, taking care the design on the template coincides against the previous embroidered design. You will use these crosshairs to hoop your fabric using the Janome Clothsetter as it has the same crosshairs on it, which are used for alignment.
Juxtapose the 2nd layout template against the first embroidered design to draw the crosshairs
Place the fabric in the embroidery hoop by superimposing the crosshair drawn on the fabric with the red marks of the crosshair on the Janome Clothsetter
Aligning the crosshair of the Janome Clothsetter with the crosshair transferred to the fabric from the template ensures perfect embroidery design placement.
Now, attach the hoop to your machine and make the center of the crosshair coincide with the tip of the needle; the ‘jog‘ key becomes essential if you need to move the hoop slightly so that the needle is exactly in the center of the cross.
Very precise positioning with the ‘jog’ key built in to many Janome embroidery machines.
Adjust the position of the embroidery hoop with the 4 directions of the ‘jog’ key so that the position of the needle is just above the center of the reference lines on the fabric.
‘JOG’ key
You can now stitch the embroidery design!
In this photo, there are two hoopings side by side
Technical sheet of this layout: 20,820 stitches < monochrome color < 270 x 222 mm < 54 min of embroidery time at 400 ppm per hoop. You can change the speed of your embroidery machine in the Settings.
Positioning steps
The same steps were followed for the second layout below with a different design.
Layout with a different embroidery design for the 2nd hooping
Technical sheet of this layout: 43,386 stitches < monochrome color < 296 x 229 mm < 124 min of embroidery time at 400 ppm per hoop.
That’s it, both sides of my bag are now embroidered; it remains to embroider the band of in-between.
To be continued!!!
Janome Canada Educator Celine Ross, translated from her original post on our sister blog, La Vie Chez Janome.
If you’ve been a regular reader of Janome Life the past few years, I think you’ve all figured out by now that I am an animal lover. I have many fur babies at home and, when I heard that a friend’s Cat Rescue, The Last Chance Cat Ranch, was doing an online auction to raise money, I knew I had to do something to help out.
I went shopping in my “fabric library” and found these adorable cat prints. Sewing for charities/ fundraisers/ donation drives, etc. is a great time to dig into your stash. You never know what treasures you’ll find!
I didn’t have a lot of the cat blocks to use them on their own, so I combined them altogether and used the darker solid background squares to make them “pop”. This is how it turned out!
I pieced the quilt on my beloved Janome MC12000, and quilted it on my Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 longarm quilting machine.
Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 on the 12ft frame. The frame can also be adjusted to 4ft or 8ft!
Set up at 8ft or 12ft, you could get more charity/ fundraiser quilts completed in a short period of time by laying two smaller quilt tops on top of one wide piece of backing fabric and one wide piece of batting. Be sure to baste down the sides of both quilt tops, then quilt across them at the same time as if they were one piece. I saved even more time quilting my fundraiser cat quilt by using one of my favourite built-in designs of the ProStitcher Premium computer, which is an optional add-on accessory for the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 16, Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 and Janome Quilt Maker Pro 20.
ProStitcher Premium Continuous Line Design – “Wind”
I sent this quilt off to the Last Chance Cat Ranch in Alberta. I’ve never had something I made auctioned off before, so really didn’t know what to expect.
I was so excited to learn that they did a special auction just for my quilt! What an honor! I’m thrilled to report that quilt raised $250.00!
Check with your local community organizations to find out what projects you might wish to contribute using a little of your time, your stash, and your Janome machines.
When I used to think of a serger, I always thought – clothes. We all know a serger is a super-useful machine for garment marking, but what if you used a serger for quilt-making?
Why not?! It would certainly speed up the process of piecing strips and squares together, and make the seams extra-durable because of the extra threads used in the serger, so, I thought I would create a baby quilt with the serger!
I am lucky enough to have an Janome AT2000D Air Thread Serger to play with. While all Janome sergers are great, I personally love this machine! Not only is it easy to thread, it’s very versatile and very easy to use.
You will notice in the above photo that I have my fabric close to the edge of the plate. I don’t want to trim any fabric off as the squares I’m using for my quilt top are pre cut to a specific size. I can take my chances that I don’t hit the cutting knife or I can drop the upper knife so it is completely and safely out of the way.
The Upper Knife of the Janome AT2000D locks in place when you want to trim the edge of your fabric. Turn the lower dial to retract the knife so it safely tucks out of the way when you don’t want to trim the fabric.
I love that dropping and raising the cutting knife is so easy. A turn of the bottom dial and the blade disappears!
With the knife out of the way, I’m sure most of you noticed the fuzzies on my foot in the photo above. I left that on purpose as a reminder to clean your serger in between projects. When you use the blade to trim off fabric while you are serging, there are a lot of fuzzies, especially with some fabrics like cotton flannel. Maintenance is so important to ensure your machine works at it’s optimum performance.
I made two quilts with scraps that I trimmed off projects on my Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 longarm quilting machine. As soon as I trim a big quilt, I take those strips and cut them into different size squares. I have several shoe boxes which I use to keep the different sizes, then use them when I need to make a quick, easy project.
This is the finished quilt top completed with the serger in the above photo. The seams are neat and cleanly finished; no stray threads! The quilt will stand-up to repeated washings and lots of wear and tear as the extra threads used on the serger strengthens the seams. It is definitely stronger with 4 threads instead of 2.
This is the finished quilt top with my regular sewing machine. I think the serger quilt top looks neater and the seams lay flatter without much pressing.
Quilt top done and all ready to be quilted!
Next time you need a quick, easy quilt to make, give your serger a try. It was fun!
Contact your local Janome Dealer to get your new serger and start creating fun things.
Today we are going to construct another block, the Rail Fence. Make sure to watch the video for some helpful tips.
Block 2 – Rail Fence
Cut (3) 2.5″ x WOF (width of fabric) strips of red Cut (3) 2.5″ x WOF strips of white Piece (1) red and (1) white strip together lengthwise using a stitch length of 2.0. Repeat with the other red and white strips to make (3) strip sets.
Subcut each strip set into (9) 4.5″ pieces.
Press seams towards the red fabric.
Arrange the pieces as per the diagram. Sew them together into rows then piece the rows together to complete the blocks.
Prepare your quilt sandwiches by layering your backing, batting, and quilt block. Baste using your favourite method.
Join us LIVE at 1pm EST @janomehq Instagram page this afternoon for our series, “Ask Janome HQ” as we read and answer your questions asked by e-mail and on our Janome Canada social media. When possible, we’ll also try to answer questions LIVE, so tune in to join in the FUN while we learn about all things Janome.
“Ask Janome HQ” will be presented every other week. We’ll still be presenting our very popular, ongoing series “Janome’s Magical Machine Mystery Tour” in the alternate weeks, so be sure to FOLLOW us so you don’t miss a post!
Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE presentation, though. They’ll be stored in the IGTV icon on the Janome HQ Instagram Page and later posted as videos on the Janome HQ You Tube channel. A new Playlist, “Ask Janome HQ” has been created so you can easily find all the presentations there if you miss a LIVE presentation or don’t have an Instagram account.
Follow us on the Janome HQ Facebook page to see what’s new at our Janome Canada Headquarters, our Janome HQ, and click HERE for more information about our ONLINE classes!
Write me at Classes@Janome-Canada.com (copy and paste in a new browser if needed) for more information about eventual on-site classes (when it’s safe) at The Janome Sewing and Learning Centre in Oakville, ON; Janome Canada’s Head Quarters.
Celine is back LIVE every Tuesday at 3pm EST on the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page for an entire month of sewing fun and education to help you get the most from your Janome machine!
This month is all about Mother, as May means Mother’s Day. However, any of the projects Celine will demonstrate will be appreciated by anyone, as well, so you don’t have a be a mom to participate.
Today, Celine will show you how to create Free Standing Lace (FSL) jewelry – no matter which Janome embroidery, or Janome embroidery-combo machine you have! Many Janome embroidery machines have FSL designs built-in to them, though so long as your machine has a USB port, you can import purchased designs, as well. You can customize and personalize just as you wish to make it a one of a kind original!
Celine will demonstrate on her fabulous Janome MC15000 Quilt Maker, but, as you likely heard, Janome recently released a new Top of the Line machine, the Janome Continental M17. But don’t worry, any of the projects Celine will demonstrate can be done on any Janome embroidery machine, so everyone can share in the fun!
Celine will share her tips about stabilizers, threads, needles; everything you need to know to transform your wardrobe; or, as Celine puts it, to “wear your machine”. Talk about sharing, and wearing the Janome love! lol!
Check out our handy bilingual Janome Accessories Guide or click on the Accessories Tab onJanome.CA. to find the presser feet and accessories compatible with your machine. Click the Products tab, then scroll down to find “View all Accessories“. Click there to access the Search Box or to scroll through the pages to find the accessories you’d like. Click on the picture/description to find the Part Number and machine compatibility. And, as always, check with your fabulous Janome Dealer!
Bilingual Janome Accessories Guide on the Janome.CA website
Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE. All of the presentations will be saved under the Videos tab of the Janome Sewing Machines Facebook page. Use the Search Box to find all the videos with CelineRoss.
Don’t have a Facebook account, don’t worry, they will be uploaded to the Janome HQ You Tube channel under the Facebook Live playlist to enjoy whenever you wish!
Here is another useful technique I found in the Janome MC9450 QCP Workbook. Do you have quilt tops you just want to get quilted quickly? Maybe you have a quilt you will give as a gift or is more of a utility quilt that doesn’t require lots of quilting. In the past our grandmothers quite often just tied a quilt by hand, but we can save a ton of time using the “Clasp Stitches” built-in to your Janome MC9450QCP! They’re all set and ready to go! And, don’t worry, the “Clasp Stitches” are built in to a number of Janome machines!
In the Janome MC9450QCP, the Clasp stitch is part of the Sewing Applications Menu. There are 4 stitches that will make tying a quilt fast and easy. The four stitches are the Star, the Snow Flake, the Diamond and the Circle. Again, these stitches may also be available in your machine, as well. Check out the Buttonhole category if your machine has that, or flip to the back of your instruction manual or look on the lid of your machine to see if you have these stitches.
On those machines with the Sewing Applications Menu, touch the T-shirt Icon to access Sewing Applications. From there, touch the Quilting Icon at the bottom right, then choose the Clasp Stitch at the top right. Then choose your desired stitch.
Use a heavier weight thread like a 30wt to really show off the stitch and add a little decoration at the same time.
These stitches are all programmed so that it will sew one stitch, lock, stop and cut the threads when completed so that you can move to the next spot on your quilt very quickly.
Use the Janome Satin Stitch Foot (F) foot or even the Janome Open Toe Satin Stitch (F2) for greater visibility if you prefer. These presser feet have a groove on the underside of the foot which help decorative stitches form and pass under the foot.
There are many other techniques and exercises to follow along in the workbook which give you practice to learn on your machine. Contact your local Janome dealer to get your copy.
Till the next time, enjoy learning all the time-saving features of your Janome MC9450 QCP!
Janome Life 
